"Making the Wright Connection" An Online Community for the Study of Richard Wright

Virtual Seminar Series Presents A Very Average Negro?: Using Richard Wright's Life to Teach African-American History   Saturday, April 16, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. CST Taught by Jennifer Wallach, Assistant Professor of History at the University of North Texas REGISTRATION IS FREE Abstract: When explaining his decision to write his autobiography, Black Boy, Richard Wright once remarked that he did so in part because he realized that he was a "very average Negro." He hoped that his story would be read as representative of the experiences of others who lacked his access to the reading public. Due to his extraordinary talent and unprecedented success as an African-American novelist, his claim initially sounds like false modesty. However, it also manifests his sensitivity to the fact that he did not walk through history unaccompanied. This seminar will demonstrate how Richard Wright's life can be used as an example for teaching many aspects of African-American history. Topics covered will include Reconstruction, the Great Migration, African-American life during the Great Depression, and various African-American cultural and political responses to racial oppression. Upcoming Virtual Seminars   "The Global Vision of Richard Wright"                               Saturday, April, 23, 2011 at 10am CST Presented by Amritjit Singh, Langston Hughes Professor of English at Ohio University Register here  "Facing Death: The Fear of Death vs. the Death of Fear"     Saturday, April 30, 2011 at 11am CST Presented by Abdul JanMohamed, Professor of English at the University of California (Berkeley) Register here  Join us: Presented by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Project on the History of Black Writing at the University of Kansas, this virtual seminar (webinar) will be presented online and participants should have access to a computer with an internet connection and audio speakers or headphones.   Registration: Please register in advance on our website: www.wrightconnection.ku.edu to receive login information for the virtual seminar. More Information